Dumbwaiter door



June 25, 1.929.` P, R, sAURE'R Y. 1,718,257

DMBwAI TER 1:6011- f Filed April 14. 1927 INVENTOR Patented June 25, 19219.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

:PAUL R. SAUBER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 THE PEELLE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORIORATION OF NEW YORK.

DUMBWAITER DOOR.

Application. filed April 14,

sonry, and reinforcing cross bars at the sill and lintel of the dumbwaiter opening. The panels themselves were made of an angle metal frame carrying special guide shoes co-operating with the vertical rails or guides, and had the opening of the frame, closed by a sheet of metal riveted or otherwise secured to the angle metal frame. The dumbwaiter door itself had two panels having flexible connections passing over sheaves r supported by the uprights within the dumbwaiter shaft, so that in opening the door the panels would move in opposite directions.

Dumbwaiter doors constructed as above, have been extensively used, and may be cheaply produced. Owing the construction of the main frame of the dumbwaiter door, however, the setting of the structure during the construction of the wall of the shaft required care in setting the frame and in keeping it in position while setting the masonry about same, and the building up of the wall itself about this frame, offered considerable difficulties. Furthermore, the construction of such doors was such as to require the installation of sills, lintels and jambs, and the use of trim about dumbwaiter shaft openings to give an attractive finish to the room. In fact, while such dumbwaiterdoors may be economically produced and conveniently installed, nevertheless there is'considerable labor cost involved in their installation.

With the above conditions in mind, I have provided a dumbwaiter door which may not `only be fabricated in its entirety in the factory, but which may be quicklyand accujrately placed in position during the construction of the wall of the shaft, and when -Iso positioned will servepas `a form l to assist 1927. Serial No. 183,649.

The durnbwaiter door structhe older structures above referred to, since it may be made substantially throughout of fairly light sheet metal stock, so flanged as to not only provide the desired framing to assist the mason in building up the wall, but to impart rigidity to the entire dumbwaiter structure. This employment of anged sheet metal parts extends not only to the opening form and its trim, but to the rail structures carried thereby, and the door panels having movement in said rail structures.

In connection with the formed sheet metal panels, I provide special bearing shoes cooperating with the sheet metal guides which will reduce the bearing area between said panels and said guides, and thus ensure continued ease of movement of the doors.

The invention consists primarily in a dumbwaiter` door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively forming the sill, the lintel and the jambs of said opening, and having outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, guides carried by flanges `of the side rails of andextending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in said guides, sheaves carried by said guides, and flexible connections extending from one of said panels to the other, and passing about said sheaves; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts, as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings, y

Fig. l is a view, from the shaft side, of a dumbwaiter unit embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line if-3 of Fia .upon all .enlarged scale and af-a2, -)2, 0"-02 and @-652 respectively,

so spacedwith relation to' each other as to form pockets of substantially the width of the thickness of the wall of the shaft, and adapted to receive the masonry of the wall. Due allowance should be made for the plaster finish upon the room side of the shaft. Vith. this construction of frame or form, the mason may run his courses to the height of the sill of the shaft opening, and then place tbeform upon the top course, and by leveling up the sill bring the side frames plumb with the wall. When the form is so positioned, and the rear fiange a brought tightly against the shaft side of theupper course of the wall completed to that point, the mason may build up the wall about this frame, the bricks beingbrougbt close to the side rails, and the lintel rail forming an arch supporting the course above the form.

Since the spaced flanges have no obstrucs tions between same, no extraordinary care is required in laying the bricks, and the frame, in its entirety, may be firmly imbedded in the masonry.

Secured to the fianges c and d' are vertically extending guides e and f, projecting above and below the rails b and a respectively for a distance sufficient to permit the desired opening movement of the door panels in a manner to be hereinafter referred to..

The guides e and may be secured to the flanges of the form in any desired manner, but preferably they are welded thereto, either continuously or at spaced distances, so as to ensure adequate support therefor from the flanges c and d.

The rails e and f are preferably made of sheet metal, channelled as shown, with one of the side flanges, that secured to the rails c and cl, wider than the other flange in order to facilitate the attachment of the guides or rails to said rails. rlhe wide 'ianges areindicated at e and f, and the narrow flanges at e2 and f2. The channels of the guides or rails are open at both the top and the bottom.

It will be noted that by this construction, the guides or rails, in their entirety, are positioned within the shaft. If desired, the portions of the guides or rails e and f above the lintel rail may be connected by a reenforcing cross bar g to stiften this portion of wie the rail structure. In view of the fact, however, that the doors are very light in their construction, and the channelled guide rails possess considerable inherent rigidity, notwithstanding that they may be made of light sheet meta-l stock, reinforcement of this kind may be dispensed with, if desired.

Toward the top of the guides or rails, they are cut away, except as to the wide flanges e and j, for a distance sufficient to admit of the mounting thereon of small sheaves h and Slidably mounted in the guides or rails e and f are two sheet metal door panels y' and which panels are connected by means of rods and chains, tapes my and n, or any other desired flexible means passing over the sheaves It and z'. The upper panel 'y' is provided with a top flange j and side flanges j2 and jg, and an astragal formed integrally with the metal of the channel and offset so as to be presented upon a plane inwardly of the plane of the face of. the panel toward the floor side of the shaft. rEhe top flange is slotted as at 75 to afford means for connections of the flexible means m and n with the panel j. The opposite ends of the flange j are also cut away as at js to afford clearance for the run of said connections m and a past the panel 7' into engaging relation with the panel 7c. 'l'here'is no flange at the bottom ofthis panel rThe lower panel. 7c is similarly' flanged atv all edges thereof, the flanges being indicated at 71:, 7a2, 23 and ,704. rlhe'opposite corners of the ange Z3 are cut away as shown, to afford clearance for the passage of the connections m and n to an attaching device carried by the panel. ther means of attaching the connections may be'employed, if desired, but preferably l use fittings such as are shown in the drawings, since these may also be utilined as bearing` shoes affordingV isolated areas ofsnrall dimensions co-operating with the walls of the channels of the guides e and f. 'Y

Ordinarily the connections m and n between the two panels y' and comprise a sprocket chain section ifo-operating with the sheaves 7a. and i and the panel y', and rods connected with said chains and co-operating with the panel 7c, the lower end of these rods being` screw threaded.

Secured to each upper corner of the panel 75 is a malleable iron fitting' o having a pierced lug 0, through which said rods may pass and are secured in adjustable relation by means of nuts 02. The top flange 7c of the panel /c is preferably cut away to accommodate the fitting o, and the'body of said panel and the flange 752 or 7e3 thereof is pierced to permit bearing projections p and p upon said fitting 0 to passbeyond the panel into engaging relation with the walls of the guide or rail e or f. A third bearing llO projection Q92 passes beyond the edge of the flange /02 or 70"* into engagement with the narrow flange c2 or f2 of the guide rail. Similar fittings Q having projections Q, Q2 and Q3 extending beyond the panel la in the manner above described, are used at the bottom corners of this panel.

The upper panel at each corner thereof is provided with fittings Q having projections Q", Q2 and Q3 passing through openings in the panel and the side flanges thereof into co-operating relation with the guide or rail structures e-f in the manner above referred to in connection with the fittings 0.

ffThe fittings Q at the upper corners of the section y', partially close the cut away portion j of the flange j..

Thefvarious fittings o and Q may be secured to the panel in anyV desired manner, preferably by means of spot welding methods. These fittings may be of light-weight castings, since they are required to sustain but very'little load by reason of the light construction of the vpanels in their entirety. Their use, however, will serve to give a fairly close sliding fit between each panel and the rails or guides in which they have movement, and affords very small contact areas admitting of ease of movement of the panels with a minimum of wear.

The main advantages of a dumbwaiter door structure embodying my invention are that it is fairly light in weight, may 'be assembled in its entirety as a single unit in the factory, and by reason of the construction of the form or frame, may bef quickly placed in position during the erection of the.

wall of the shaft, and when 'inl position will materially` assist in the construction ofthis wall rather than introduce difficulties in the way of the mason. Its light weight pern'iits it to be handled with great ease by two men,

and the flanged construction ofthe rail a when it is once positioned upon the wall, will ensure its remaining in position, and in the proper position, without any attention excepting the necessary leveling up to make the side rails thereof plumb. No bracing of any kind is required.

The front flanges a2, b2, c2 and Z2 may be pressed into any desired decorative form as shown inthe drawings, this flange constituting the trim about the floor side of the dumbwaiter opening. While,when such trim is used, allowance must be made for the finishing plaster coats, it is obvious that the lower end of the rail structures e and f will. prevent any toppling of the unit inwardly 'of the shaft while the masonryr is being during the'construction of the wall. In fact,

even when a molded flange is used, a portion of this flange will be spaced from the' opposite flange as to engage the wall of the shaft and thus hold the whole structure firmly 'in position in relation to this wall..

The panel is provided with any desired form of operating handle as 1', and the con struction is such that any desired form of lock may be applied to the panels. Since this detail is immaterial to, and forms no part of, the present invention, no showing of a lock is made in the drawings.'

It will be noted'that the door, as to its various parts, is so designed that no work thereon is required when installing. While the frame or form and the guides in a completed door are a unitary structure, these parts may be manufactured separately and assembled by welding or other methods. While the molding flange is practically an integral part ofthe frame or form, it ordinarily is made up of separate units welded together, and welded to other portions of the frame or form. It isto be noted that the frame or form has no flanges excepting those which are adapted to lap the opposite sides of the wall. Cross flanges are unnecessary and undesirable.

Various parts entering into the construction of the door, including the panels, but excepting the various fittings when used, the sheaves and the connections between the panels are all ofsheet metal, drawn, bent or rolled to form. I have gotten veryexcellent results when using lt gauge sheet iron. The flanges w, b', c" and d may be made by a bending operation, and the corners left open, since these flanges are within the shaft where appearance is no factor. The molded flanges m2, b2, c2 and cl2, however, afford a continuous decorative trim about they opening, their mode of construction being such as to prevent open corners. v

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings, since it is apparent that there may be wide variance in such dctails without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. l

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by LettersPatent, is

l. A dumbwaiter door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a

top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rack respectively forming the sill, the lintel and the jambs of said opening, and having outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, guides carried by flanges of the side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in said guides, sheaves carried by said guides, and flexible connections extendlll) ing from one of said panels to the other, and passing about said sheaves.

2. Ay dumbwaiter door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively forming the sill, the lintel and the jambs of said opening, and having outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, channelled lguides formed of sheet metal carried by flanges of `the side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in the channelled portion of said guides, sheaves carried by said guides, and flexible connections extending from one of said panels to the other, and passing about said sheaves.

3. A dumbwaiter door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively forining the sill, the lintel and the ambs of said opening, and having outwardlyextending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, guides carried by flanges of the side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in said guides, one of said panels having flanges at thel top and at the sides thereof, and an astragal at the bottom thereof, said flanges and said astragal being an integral part of the metal of said panel, and

the other of said panels having integral flanges at all edgesthereof, sheaves carried by said guides, and flexible connections extending from one of said panels to the other,

and passing about said sheaves.

et. A dumbwaiter door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively forming the sill, the lintel and the jambs of said opening, and having `outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, channelled guides formed of sheet metal carried by flanges of the side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in the channelled portion of said guides, oneA of said panels having flanges at the top and at the sides thereof, and an astragal at the bottom thereof, said flanges and said astragal being an integral part of the metal of said panel, and the other of said panels having integral flanges at all edges thereof,

sheaves carried by said guides, and flexible connections extending from one of said panels to the other, and passing about said sheaves.

5. A dumbwaiter door. embodying therein a sheet metal form composed ofa bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, defining the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively forming the sill, the lintel and the jambs of said opening, and having outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, guides carried by flanges of the side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bot-tom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels slidably mounted in said guides, sheaves carried by said guides, a flange having slots therein at the top of the upper panel, cast metal-fittings each having a pierced lug at the top of the lower panel, and flexible connections, the opposite ends of which are secured to the upper panelby means of said slots, and te the lower panel by means of said lugs, said connections passing about said sheaves. Y

6. In a dumbwaiter door, a panel having flanges at the opposite sides thereof, vand cast metal fittings within the flange of said panel, and having projections thereon extending through and beyond the face of the panel, beyond the edge of said flange, and through and beyond said flange, whereby each of said fittings presents three bearing pointsl of limited area adapted to co-operate with a guide rail structure in which said panel is slidably mounted.

7. A dumbwaiter door embodying therein a sheet metal form composed of a bottom, a top and parallel spaced side rails permanently connected and, dening the door opening in a shaft, said rails respectively form'- ing the sill, the lintel and the jamb-s of said opening, and having outwardly extending flanges so spaced as to receive the masonry of the shaft about the opening within said form, channelled guides formed of sheet metal carried by flanges ofthe side rails of said form and extending vertically beyond said top and said bottom rails respectively, sheet metal door panels -slidably mounted in the channelled portion of said guides, the upper of said panels having a llangeat the top thereof, having slots adjacent the opposite sides thereof, flanges at the sides thereof, and an astragal at the bottom thereof, said flanges and said astragal being an integral part of the metal of said panel, and the lower of said panels having integralL flanges at all edges thereof, cast metal fittings, each having a pierced lug toward the top of the lower panel, sheaves carried adjacent the tops of said guides, flexible connections, the opposite ends of which are secured vto the upper panel by means of said slots, and to lll() the lower panel by means of said lugs7 said connections passing about said sheaves, and other cast metal fittings Within the flange of said lower panel and the side flanges of said upper panel, each of said metal fittings having projections thereon extending through and beyond the face of the panel, beyond the edge of said flange, and through and beyond said flange, whereby each of said fittings presents three bearing points of limited area l adapted to co-operate With a guide rail structure in which said panel is slidably mounted.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature, this 31st day of March, 1927.

PAUL R. SAUBER. 

